Twelve jurors and six alternates have been selected for former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, which began with opening arguments on Monday.
The final jury was chosen from a pool of dozens of Manhattan residents, including two replacements for earlier selections. One woman was concerned about her identity being revealed by the media, as friends and family had already asked if she was serving. Another man was dismissed after prosecutors noted inconsistencies in his jury questionnaire.
The jurors, whose identities are known to those involved in the case but otherwise kept secret, are tasked with deciding the outcome of the first criminal trial of a former president in U.S. history. They pledged to serve impartially and answered questions about their political opinions, personal lives, and news consumption habits before being selected. After replacing the two jurors, Judge Juan Merchan restricted the media from reporting on potential jurors’ employers.
The panel will hear evidence related to allegations that Trump conspired with his former attorney Michael Cohen to falsify records to cover up reimbursements paid to Cohen. These reimbursements were allegedly for a $130,000 “hush money” payment Cohen made just before the 2016 election to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Trump. Trump has denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to the charges, accusing prosecutors of pursuing the case for political reasons.
Here is what we know about the jurors in the Trump trial:
Juror #1
- A man originally from Ireland, now living in New York and working in sales. He was appointed foreperson. He enjoys the outdoors and gets his news from the New York Times, the Daily Mail, Fox News, and MSNBC.
Juror #2
- A man working in investment banking, living with his wife in New York. He follows Michael Cohen and Trump’s Truth Social posts on social media, staying informed about anything that might affect the markets.
Juror #3
- A corporate lawyer from Oregon who enjoys hiking and gets his news from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Google. He admitted to not being very familiar with Trump’s other charges and not closely following the news.
Juror #4
- A security engineer who spends most of his spare time with his children. He consumes news from various outlets and is not active on social media.
Juror #5
- A teacher who is not very interested in politics or the news, which she gets from The New York Times and TikTok. Despite her friends’ strong opinions about Trump, she stated she prefers someone who speaks their mind over someone who is secretive.
Juror #6
- A software engineer who stated she could treat Trump like any other person on trial. She reads The New York Times and uses TikTok.
Juror #7
- A civil litigator who enjoys outdoor activities with his children. He reads The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and The Washington Post and listens to the podcasts “Smartless” and “Car Talk.”
Juror #8
- A retired wealth manager who enjoys meditation and yoga. He gets his news from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, and CNBC.
Juror #9
- A speech therapist from New Jersey who doesn’t follow the news closely but listens to reality TV podcasts and gets newsletters from The New York Times and CNN. She expressed her ability to be impartial despite disagreeing with Trump’s politics.
Juror #10
- A man from Ohio working in commerce who enjoys the outdoors and animals. He affirmed his ability to put aside his views about Trump and decide the case impartially.
Juror #11
- A woman from California working in product development. Although she finds Trump selfish and self-serving, she believes she can be impartial and understand his point of view.
Juror #12
- A physical therapist who listens to sports and faith-related podcasts and gets her news from The New York Times, USA Today, and CNN. She expressed her commitment to making an educated decision based on the courtroom evidence.
The 12 jurors and six alternates are closely following the proceedings, with some taking notes and others simply absorbing the information. Trump is making an effort to be on his best behavior when the jury is present, although he occasionally nods off or closes his eyes, which could appear rude to some jurors.
